WASHINGTON.- The United States is ready for “all possibilities” in the Middle East, a senior US official said on Sunday, amid fears of a war between Iran and Israel.
Following the Pentagon’s announcement of an increase in the presence of military forces in the Middle East, White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said: “We are preparing for all possibilities.”
“The Pentagon is mobilizing significant resources into the region to prepare for what could again be the need to defend Israel from attack, while simultaneously working very hard diplomatically to de-escalate this situation, as we do not believe that a regional war is in anyone’s interest at this time,” he added in statements to ABC News.
The US has mobilised more warships and fighter jets to protect its troops and its ally Israel from threats from Iran and Tehran-backed groups such as the Palestinian Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah.
Washington fears a regional escalation following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, hours after Israel killed Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr in Beirut.
Israel, which Hamas and Iran blame for the attack that killed Haniyeh, has not commented directly on the incident.
Tensions in the Middle East have been heightened since Islamist militants killed 1,197 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 251 in southern Israel on October 7, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data.
Israel estimates that 111 people remain captive in Gaza, although 39 of them are believed to be dead.
The Israeli offensive has already killed 39,550 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian territory, ruled by Hamas since 2007.
G7 expresses “great concern”
The foreign ministers of the G7 countries expressed their “great concern” at the risk of an escalation of war in the Middle East during a video conference on Sunday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.
“Together with our partners, we have expressed grave concern about recent developments that threaten to lead to a regionalisation of the crisis, starting with Lebanon,” Tajani, whose country holds the annual presidency of the G7, made up of the major Western powers, said in a statement.
Source: EDITORIAL with information from AFP
